Tent-cot combination



March 16, 1965 F. E. JONES TENT-co'r coMBINA'rmN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 18, 1963 F'IG.

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United States Patent O 3,173,156 TENT-COT COMBINATEON Francis E. `ones, 100 King, Fayette, Iowa Filed Jan. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 252,364 3 Claims. (Cl. -113) This invention relates to a tent-cot combination. In

connection with camping, a prime consideration is the attainment of maximum comfort in the handling and use of the minimum gear deemed necessary. These will include a pallet of some sort for sleeping, and an enclosnre for protection from the weather. It is therefore a general object of the invention to provide both of these features in a highly compact arrangem'ent. Another object is to achieve ease of set-up and knock-down, consistent with required strength and durability. More specifically, it is an object to provide a folding tent which shall include a cot in its structure, and be of a size comparable to that of a cot. Yet another object is to provide a minimized shelter providing for sleeping in an elevated position above the ground. Other objects include ease of manufacture, operation and maintenance and low cost.

These and other objects, which will be apparent, are attained by the present invention, a preferred form of which is described in the following specification, as illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the complete tentcot combination, as erected,

FIGURE 2 is a transverse, sectional view, taken on the plane of the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal, sectional view, taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of FIGURE l,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the framework, at an intermediate stage of folding.

FIGURE 5 is an end elevation of the fully folded framework,

FIGURE 6 is a bracketed view, in perspective, showing details of a corner joint, and

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6, showing another joint.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, and particularly FIGURES 4-7, there is shown the skeleton framework of the cot-tent combination, of which the cot comprises two end rails 10, 12, of tubular conone side, and 18, 20 on the other side. As seen in FIG- struction, joined by folding, side rail sections, 14, 16 on URE 6, the end rails and side rail Sections `are joined at right angles by a joint bracket 22, of channel section, having two fixed dowels extending at right angles, one dowel 24 extending from the bottom of the channel, and another dowel 26 extending from one side flange. These dowels are of a size to be snugly received in the tubular rails 16, 18, etc., and each has a through lateral bore 28, adapted to register with lateral bores 30 in the rails, to receive a suitable looking pin.

The side walls or flanges of each bracket 22 have aligned perforations 32 at their upper and lower ends, the upper ones adapted to register with pin-receiving lateral bores 34 in the two lower, free ends of the arms 36 of a U-shaped bracket with cross member or bight 38, and the lower ones adapted to register with pinreceiving, lateral bores 40 in a tubular leg 42, having a fiattened, transversely bent, foot 44 at its lower end, for ground engagement. Preferably, the rails 36 will be of different heights, so that the cross rail 38 has a slant, as seen in FIGURE 2, to provide for rain run-off. In the arrangement thus far described, which is the same a* both ends of the cot, the corner bracket and bed rails form a fixed U which constitutes a pivoting anchor against which the U frames 36-38 and the legs 42 are foldable.

3,l73,156 Patented Mar. 16, 1965 This folded portion includes the three members shown in each half of the lower part of FIGURE 5.

The two 'end units just described, are pivotally united, midway of the cot length, by means of another channel bracket 46, which ditfers from corner bracket 22 inthat it has only one dowel 48, which extends from its bottom wall, and connects With a middle leg 50 in the same way as the corner brackets connect with the bed rails, that is, by bores 28 and 30, and pins. Thus, although the corner legs are foldable, the middle legs are not. However, as seen in FIGURE 5, this rigid leg comports with the over-all foldability, because when the end sections are folded in, the leg 50 occupies a middle space along with the foldable corner legs 42. Cross bracing of the cot is eifected by a cross tube 52, running between middle legs 50, and additional bracing for the corner legs may be provided, if deemed necessary or desirable.

The end U frames 36-38 are part of the system supporting the covering envelope of tent material, and these are joined, braced and augmented by separable, longitudinally extending, tube Sections, including two Sections 54 having ring form ends 56, by means of which they are articulated to the cross bar 38 of one of the U-form end frames, and having sleeves 58 on their outer ends, constituting couplings for receiving the outer ends of similar Sections 60 swingably mounted by rings 56 on the cross rod 38 of the other end frame.

The cot frame c'over 62, of Canvas or 'the like, is conventional, and provided with suitable edge loops receiving the end and side rails of the cot, and having suitable corner -and middle recesses to clear the coupling structure.

With reference to FIGURES 1-3, it is clear that the framework described provides for a tent in which the fioor unit is elevated above the ground, which is a favorable circumstance in relation to the general problems associated with outdoor camping. To provide the tent features, an outer covering, such as shown in FIGURES 1-3 may be provided, using any suitable, conventional, tent material. The covering is conveniently made up in one piece, and as seen in FIGURE 1, the p-referred form has small end panels 64, long side panels 66,68, and a sloping, roof panel 70. As seen in FIGURE 2, the side panel 68 is integral with top panel 70, and this piece extends beyond side panel 66, to form a canopy 72, the latter provided with grommets in its outer corners to receive the top spikes 74 of support poles 76, which latter are braced by guy ropes 78. The side panel 66 is conveniently stitched to the top piece 70-72, so that the fabric cover fits snugly over the superstructure of the cot. This fit may be such that no fastenings are required, but it will be understood that appropriate fastenings, such as hooks and grommets, or snap fasteners, may be employed, if deemed necessary or desirable.

For `access to the tent, the panel 66 is sl-it along a Vertical line 80, near one end, and a meeting, horizontal line 82, near the top of the panel, and running most of the length thereof, the slits being equipped With a suitable zipper type of fastener. Obviously, the configuration and size of the access slits may be varied, and may include 'the case where the slit is a quadrilateral, and bounds a removal closnre section. The section within the zipper is conveniently provided with a small ventilation window 84, equipped with a suitable screen 86, and within the tent, a drop roll of fabric, 88, may be provided, for covering the window when necessary. For greater ventilation, the flap within the zipper may be left open, a roll of mosquito netting 90, being provided within the tent to cover this larger opening.

The inner surfaces of the walls of the tent may be uti-lized for hanging some of the essential camping items, for convenient access. Thus, the rear panel 68 may have a pair of loops 92, 94, sewed thereto, which are adapted to hold a rifle 96, and a fabric piece 98 of multiple loops, may hold such articles as a fiash light, a tooth brush, tube of tooth paste, comb, etc. The end panels may also have pocketsltlt), 102, for receiving articles of clothing, or other items.

The' tent-cot combination is collapsible as a whole, for transportation and storage, with the fabric cover in place, although it Vis also' possible to lift otf the cover, and handle it separately from the framework, should this be deerned more expedient, for any reason. For purposes of'illustration, however, rthe folding action has been shown in FIGURES-4 and 5 as applied to the framework only.

Collapsing will be seen as comprising a relatively simple series of motions, including the uncoupling of tubes 60 from central sleeves 58, folding tube pairs 54 and 60 into the plane of end Sections 36-38, folding the cot about its middle line (pivot brackets 46) so that rails -18, and 16-20 are flded against end rails 36, and folding the corner legs 42 against rail Sections 10-18, and 16-20, with the resulting compact arrangement shown in FIGURE 5.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided a compact shelter which integrally includes a cot, as well as other utilitarian features, which is rapidly set up into a strong'and reliable structure, and which is also readily collapsible into a package of relatively small volume, for storage or transportation.

It will be understood that suitable diagonal bracing may be provided for the cot legs, although, in the interest of clarity, such showing has not been made in the drawings.

While a certain, preferred ernbodiment has been shown and described,` various modifications will be apparent, in the light of this disclosure, and the inventon should not, therefore, be deemed as limited, except insofar as shall appear from the spirit` and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tent-cot combination comprising a cot having a pair of end rails, each with a pair of inwardly extending, side rail Sections at its ends, a medial coupling braeket pivotally joining the side rail Sections on each side of said cot, and having a fixed cot leg, a corner bracket connecting said end rails to said side rail Sections, a corner cot leg pivoted to each corner bracket, a U-frame at each end of said cot, with legs pivoted to said corner braclrets, for swinging movement of the bight section of the U-frame, said bight sections being slanted, a pair of top rails having ring-form ends articulated on the bight section of each of said U-frames, and coupling sleeves on the ends of one of said pairs of rails, all structural members of said cot being tubular, and said cot legs having transversely bent, fiat, feet portions on their outer ends, a cot cover of fabric material carried by said end rails and said side rail Sections, and a tent cover of fabric material snugly fitted over said top rails and said bight Sections, and extending downward at least to said cot cover, said tent cover having two sides, two ends, a top, and a canopy extending from the top edge of one side, a window in one of said sides, covered with netting, a roll curtain for covering said netting, said one side having an L-form slit closed by a zipper fastener, a roll of netting carried inwardly of said one side, and support means for articles within said tent cover, comprising loops and pockets on the inner surface thereof.

2. A device as in claim 1, said corner brackets comprising a channel-form member, with fix-ed dowels extending from the bottom and one side wall, engaging said end rails and side rail sections and axially aligned bores at the ends of its side walls, articulating said U-frames and said cot legs. a

3. A device as in claim 1, said brackets comprising a channel-form member with at least one extending dowel, and axially aligned bores at the ends of its side walls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PAT ENTS 1,395,158 10/21 Smith 5-113 1,546,613 7/25 Beman 5-113 X 1,985,694 1'2/34 Rosenbaum 5-113 X 2,159,273 5/49 Killinger 5-113 X 2,530,45O 11/50 Cast.

2,975,792 3/61 Herbert et al. 5-180 X FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examner. 

1. A TENT-COT COMBINATION COMPRISING A COT HAVING A PAIR OF END RAILS, EACH WITH A PAIR OF INWARDLY EXTENDING, SIDE RAIL SECTIONS AT ITS ENDS, A MEDIAL COUPLING BRACKET PIVOTALLY JOINING THE SIDE RAIL SECTIONS ON EACH SIDE OF SAID COT, AND HAVING A FIXED COT LEG, A CORNER BRACKET CONNECTING SAID END RAILS TO SAID SIDE RAIL SECTIONS, A CORNER COT LEG PIVOTED TO EACH CORNER BRACKET, A U-FRAME AT EACH END OF SAID COT, WITH LEGS PIVOTED TO SAID CORNER BRACKETS, FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE BIGHT SECTION OF THE U-FRAME, SAID BIGHT SECTIONS BEING SLANTED, A PAIR OF TOP RAILS HAVING RING-FORM ENDS ARTICULATED ON THE BIGHT SECTION OF EACH OF SAID U-FRAMES, AND COUPLING SLEEVES ON THE ENDS OF ONE OF SAID PAIRS OF RAILS, ALL STRUCTURAL MEMBERS OF SAID COT BEING TUBULAR, AND SAID COT LEGS HAVING TRANSVERSELY BENT, FLAT, FEET PORTIONS ON THEIR OUTER ENDS, A COT COVER OF FABRIC MATERIAL CARRIED BY SAID END RAILS AND SAID SIDE RAIL SECTIONS, AND A TENT COVER OF FABRIC MATERIAL SNUGLY FITTED OVER SAID TOP RAILS AND SAID BIGHT SECTIONS, AND EXTENDING DOWNWARD AT LEAST TO SAID COT COVER, SAID TENT COVER HAVING TWO SIDES, TWO ENDS, A TOP, AND A CANOPY EXTENDING FROM THE TOP EDGE OF ONE SIDE, A WINDOW IN ONE OF SAID SIDES, COVERED WITH NETTING, A ROLL CURTAIN FOR COVERING SAID NETTING, SAID ONE SIDE HAVING AN L-FORM SALIT CLOSED BY A ZIPPER FASTENER, A ROLL OF NETTING CARRIED INWARDLY OF SAID ONE SIDE, AND SUPPORT MEANS FOR ARTICLES WITHIN SAID TENT COVER, COMPRISING LOOPS AND POCKETS ON THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF. 